Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
SPECIAL ISSUE
The 50 Most Innovative Companies
BRIEFING
PRIVATE SPACEFLIGHT
p61
The Authority on the Future of TechnologyApril 2011www.technologyreview.com
GOOGLE: THE WEB IS TOO SLOW p54
PLUS
Energy Miracles
p46
Imitating WikiLeaks
p70
New MoneySquare, from the creator of Twitter, will transform payments. p40
Published by MIT
Mar11 Cover.indd 1 2/11/11 1:17 PM
Untitled-1 2 2/4/11 4:04 PM
Untitled-1 3 2/4/11 4:04 PM
TSRI_TR0411.indd 2 2/9/11 4:21 PM
TSRI_TR0411.indd 3 2/9/11 4:21 PM
4 technology review March/April 20114
35 TR50In our second annual list of the world’s most innovative technology companies, we highlight businesses that are changing industries and lives.
By BRIAN BERGSTEIN
■ www.technologyreview.com/tr50 See detailed proiles of the compa-nies.
40 The New MoneySquare, founded by the creator of Twitter, has built a simple payment network. That innovation could transform commerce in surprising ways.By JASON PONTIN
■ www.technologyreview.com/square Take a video tour of Square’s headquarters.
46 Praying for an Energy MiracleWhat will it take to make clean energy sources cheap enough to compete with fossil fuels? By DAVID ROTMAN
54 The Slow-Motion InternetGoogle’s growth plans depend in part on whether it can make the entire Web faster. By ERICA NAONE
TO MARKET
17–21 Technology Commercialized Glasses-free 3-D gaming, smart oven, high-deinition Wi-Fi, GPS-equipped ski goggles, portable foldable solar panel, and more.
GRAPHITI
22 World of IdeasSome countries generate more inventions than their economic stature might indicate. By Brian Bergstein
Q&A
24 Jonathan RothbergThe genomic entrepreneur says his DNA-sequencing technology will revolutionize medical testing. By Emily Singer
PHOTO ESSAY
26 British Sea PowerSee the construction of one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms off the coast of England. By Kevin Bullis
BRIEFING
61–69 Private SpacelightCompanies have made impres-sive technical progress, but are there enough customers?
■ www.technologyreview.com/
briefings/space
See Sierra Nevada’s commercial rocket under construction.
10 Letters12 From the Editor
NOTEBOOKS
14 Curbing CarbonIf we are to prevent further dam-age to our climate, new energy technologies need the support of sound economic policy. By Robert N. Stavins
14 Users RuleNovel technologies that create new markets often emerge from pioneering user inventions. By Eric Von Hippel
15 Web WinsWeb apps can displace other forms of software if browser and Web technology keep improving. By Håkon Wium Lie
Contents VOLUME 114, NUMBER 2
COVER
A device called a Square attaches to an iPhone and allows merchants to process credit cards. In 2011, mobile payments are expected to total $119 billion worldwide.Photograph by Toby Burditt
50
50
5050
50
50
Mar11 ToC.indd 4 2/10/11 1:43 PM
1. Comparison based on performance and virtualization advantage of two IBM Power 730 Express systems with equivalent throughput of fi ve virtualized HP ProLiant DL380 G7 systems and takes into account the cost of the systems, operating system, virtualization and middleware software and software support for 3 years. Comparison is based on performance and utilization characteristics in a virtualized environment. Actual performance, system and software savings and environmental cost savings will vary depending on client actual implementation. Contact IBM to see what we can do for you. For more information, visit www.ibm.com/power7/claims. IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, Power, Power Systems, Smarter Planet and the planet icon are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml. © International Business Machines Corporation 2010.
The new industry standard.Up until now, many companies have settled for x86 performance with the
mistaken belief that more power equals more money. That equation has
changed. Today, a comparable workload on IBM Power® 730 Express systems
can be as much as 37% less expensive than on HP ProLiant DL380 G7
systems.1 And we haven’t compromised performance to reach that price
point. Power Systems™ are designed to enable you to optimize hundreds
of workloads on a single system, drive up to 90% utilization and reduce
energy costs by up to 80% when consolidating servers. Can systems be
built to do more for less? On a smarter planet they can. ibm.com/power7
Smarter systems for a Smarter Planet.
IBM_TR0411.indd 1 2/3/11 5:51 PM
6 technology review March/April 2011
DEMO
80 Building Batteries for Electric Cars A123’s new factory exploits automation and advances in nanotechnology. By Kevin Bullis
REVIEWS
70 Transparency and Secrets WikiLeaks wants to undermine states and corporations by interfering with their ability to “think.” It may not survive, but its innovations will be imitated. By Jason Pontin
73 How to Stop the SnoopersGetting advertisers to quit tracking you may be harder than you think. By Simson L. Garinkel
76 It’s Good to Be the Mayor Foursquare and other location-based social games are compelling when they harness the energy of ofline gaming. By Matt Schwartz
HACK
78 Arduino UnoHow a cheap microcontroller makes it possible to design and build hardware. By Erica Naone
■ www.technologyreview.com/hack
See how the Arduino works.
FROM THE LABS
84 Information Technology85 Materials 86 Biomedicine
34 YEARS AGO IN TR
88 Digital Watches and Pet RocksWe often misjudge the long-term value of an innovation by focusing on the shortcomings of its early versions. By Kristina Grifantini
50
Contents VOLUME 114, NUMBER 2
Mar11 ToC.indd 6 2/9/11 6:46 PM
MOBILEAPPSTechnology Review’s mobile apps mean that you are never far away
from the latest news on emerging technologies.
Learn more at: www.technologyreview.com/apps
The new iOS app allows users to access Technology Review’s award-winning editorial content, including daily news,
video, Business Impact, and Technology Review magazine. Users can participate in discussions within Technology
Review’s dynamic online community, explore interactive features, and access subscription content.
~ JUST RELEASED FOR iPAD ~
Now available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android-enabled devices.
8 technology review March/April 2011
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND
SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES
National: 800-877-5230 International: 818-487-2088 E-mail: technologyreview@ pubservice.com www.technologyreview.com/ customerservice MIT Records: 617-253-8270 (alums only) Permissions: Jennifer Martin [email protected] 877-652-5295, ext. 104
ADVERTISING SALES
Midwest Sales Director and
National Print Strategist
Maureen Elmaleh [email protected]
West Coast Sales Director and
National Digital Strategist
Patrick [email protected]
New York and Northeast
Johanna [email protected]
New England, Detroit, and Canada
Barry [email protected]
Mid-Atlantic and Southeast
Clive [email protected]
Northwest
Steve Thompson [email protected] 415-435-4678
Europe
Anthony Fitzgerald [email protected]
France
Philippe Marquezy philippe.marquezy@ espacequadri.com33-1-4270-0008
Germany
Michael Hanke [email protected]
China
RP Soong [email protected]
India
Aninda [email protected]
Japan
Shigeru Kobayashi [email protected]
Spain and South America
(Online)
Pedro Moneo Laí[email protected]
International Licensing
Consultant
Chander Rai
Advertising Serviceswebcreative@ technologyreview.com617-475-8004
Media Kitwww.technologyreview.com/media
Technology ReviewOne Main Street, 13th Floor Cambridge MA 02142 Tel: 617-475-8000 Fax: 617-475-8043
Technology Review, inc., identiies emerging
technologies and analyzes their impact for technol-
ogy leaders. Technology Review publishes Technolo-
gy Review magazine (the oldest technology maga-
zine in the world, founded in 1899) and the daily
website TechnologyReview.com; it also produces
live events such as the EmTech Conference. Tech-
nology Review is an independent media company
owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
ogy. The views expressed in our various publications
and at our events are often not shared by MIT.De Technologia non multum scimus. Scimus autem, quid nobis placeat.
Editor in Chief and Publisher
Jason Pontin
EDITORIAL
Editor
David Rotman
Deputy Editor
Brian Bergstein
Design Director
Conrad Warre
Art Director
Lee Caulield
Chief Correspondent
David Talbot
Senior Editor, Special Projects
Stephen Cass
Senior Editor, MIT News
Alice Dragoon
Senior Editor, Biomedicine
Emily Singer
Online Editor
Will Knight
Materials Science Editor
Katherine Bourzac
Energy Editor
Kevin Bullis
IT Editor, Web & Social Networking
Erica Naone
IT Editor, Software & Hardware
Tom Simonite
Copy Chief
Linda Lowenthal
Senior Web Producer
Brittany Sauser
Assistant Managing Editor
Timothy Maher
Assistant Editor
Kristina Grifantini
Assistant Art Director
Angela Tieri
Production Director
James LaBelle
Contributing Editors
Simson L. Garinkel Mark Williams
TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM
Vice President, Online
David Foucher
Web Developers
Michael Callahan Shaun Calhoun Sarah Redman
CORPORATE
Chief Financial Oficer
Rick Crowley
Chief Operating Oficer
James Coyle
Chief Strategy Oficer
Kathleen Kennedy
Executive Assistant
Leila Snyder
Manager of Information Technology
Colby Wheeler
Ofice Coördinator
Linda Cardinal
MARKETING
Associate Director,
Marketing & Events
Amy Lammers
Associate Manager,
Advertising Operations
David A. Schmidt
Associate Art Director,
Marketing & Custom Publishing
Andrew Memmelaar
CONSUMER MARKETING
Senior Vice President,
Audience Development
Heather Holmes
Director of Audience Analytics
Kathy Kraysler
Fulillment Manager
Tina Bellomy
FINANCE
Accountants
Letitia Trecartin Tim Curran
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Reid Ashe Judith M. Cole Jerome I. Friedman Theresa M. Stone Sheila E. Widnall Ann J. Wolpert
Published by MiT
Mar11 Masthead.indd 8 2/7/11 8:41 AM
